Dan Adkins strolls along the grandstands of Mardi Gras Dog Track and remembers the way things used to be.

“When this was built in ’74, it was the largest grandstand in the world for greyhound racing,” says Adkins, the president of Mardi Gras, formerly Hollywood Greyhound Race Track. “Still is today. In 1981 we had 14,000 people here. We used to have 10,000 to 12,000 people regularly here on weekends in the early Eighties.”

When CBS4 I Team investigator Jim DeFede, noted that it has been a long time since Adkins had 14,000 people in those grandstands, Adkins replied: “It’s been a longtime since we had 400 people in these grandstands. I think on a good Saturday night we might have 100 people sitting out here watching the races”

Adkins says he is going to lose $2.5 million this year on the dog races. Down the road in Miami, the owners of Flagler Dog Track are reportedly losing almost $2 million a year.

Adkins said the sad reality is that the dog racing industry can not be revived.

“It’s dead,” he declared. “I’ve been in this business my entire life and its dead.”

So why continue to operate a business that is losing millions of dollars a year? Well you don’t have to walk far to find the answer to that question. Just behind that massive and empty grandstand lies a casino with more than 1,200 slot machines and a card room for high stakes poker.

“This is the kind of entertainment gaming activity that people are looking for,” Adkins said as he walked through the casino floor.

But in order to operate the casino Adkins has to keep racing dogs.

“The law is forcing me to put greyhounds on this track every day and run,” he said.

But before you feel sorry for Adkins, you should realize it’s a law he helped create. A decade ago, Adkins realized there was no long-term future in dog racing. But rather than close as other tracks around the country have done, he held on to racing, using the track’s economic problems as leverage to get voter approval five years ago to install slot machines. Now that he has his casino, he’s looking to dump the dog track.

“If you could replace this greyhound track with a resort destination casino on this same property, the same property where gambling has been taking place for 80 years, now you are going to create jobs, you are going to create billions of dollars for this state in revenue,” Adkins said.

Adkins along with the owners of Flagler Dog Track, are pushing for legislation in Tallahassee that would allow them to keep their casinos while closing their racing facilities.

In addition, they would like to see the Legislature allow them to expand their casino operations to include all of the games they are currently prohibited from operating – including blackjack, roulette and craps.

“The track operators for some years now have wanted to become casino operators, but they don’t want to be honest with the people of Florida and say they want to open a casino, so they have backdoored the casinos through card rooms and parimutuel wagering,” said Jack Cory, a lobbyist for the Florida Greyhound Association, which represents the dog owners and trainers.

Cory said the track owners tried to sneak a bill through the legislature last year but were unsuccessful. He said he has already heard they are working to do the same again this year.

Cory said if folks like Adkins and the Havenick family, which owns Flagler Dog Track, don’t think they can make a profit racing dogs then they should turn in their licenses and allow someone else to operate the dog tracks. Cory argues it is not fair to allow the current owners to summarily decide greyhound racing is a dead business.

Unfortunately, many of the dog men, as they are called, have no idea what the track owners are doing. James “Barney” O’Donnell, 81, has been racing dogs for more than 50 years and currently owns between 300 and 400 greyhounds.

Even when he was told of Adkins plans, O’Donnell refused to believe it. O’Donnell said he believes Adkins is going to work to save the track.

But in fact, he says he’s not. And while turning his back on the dog men, Adkins and the track owners are forging some unusual alliances with groups such as Grey2K, an animal rights group that has waged a relentless ten year battle with the racing industry.

“It’s a little bit like Alice in Wonderland,” said Carey Theil, the group’s executive director.

In 2008, Grey2K helped win approval for measures banning dog racing in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. They have also watched as tracks have closed in Connecticut, Kansas and Wisconsin.

There are only 23 dog tracks left in the United States — with thirteen of them here in Florida.

If Adkins looks at the issue strictly as a matter of dollars and cents, Theil approaches it with a sense of outrage. Greyhound racing, he argues, is inherently cruel and inhumane to the animals, which spend 20 to 22 hours a day locked in cages, stacked on top of one another in long, windowless kennels.

“A lot of people think these dogs are owned by people and they are taken to the track and they race and they go home at night,” Theil said. “That’s not the case. These tracks require a large population of dogs and because of that they use a housing system that is cruel and inhumane.”

Theil took CBS4 News to the Florida Kennel compound in Hialeah. The facility, which can house hundreds, if not thousands, of dogs, is jointly owned by Mardi Gras and Flagler dog tracks. Theil described how dogs are typically housed.

“They are in their cages up to 22 hours a day on average,” he explained. “Perhaps the dogs are let out of their cages four times a day to relieve themselves for thirty minutes and the rest of their life is spent in a cage. If most Floridians could go through this guard shack and past the barbed wire fence and see for themselves how dogs live in this kennel compound I believe they would say this is something that must come to an end.”

Theil provided us a copy of an undercover investigation his group did surrounding the conditions of the kennel in Tucson Arizona highlighting, he says, the way dogs are routinely confined. The video shows dogs muzzled in their cages.

“No dog would like to live in a cage, but the fact that greyhounds love to run and are so gifted makes it especially cruel that these dogs endure a life of confinement,” Theil said. “It’s just no way to treat a dog.”

And then there is the case of Ronnie Williams. A kennel operator and trainer at Ebro Dog Track in the Florida Panhandle. In October, state investigators discovered more than 30 dogs starved to death inside his kennel.

“When you first drove up outside the gate, way out in the parking lot, you could smell the stench of the dead animals,” said Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock.

Williams is facing more than 30 felony counts of animal cruelty and remains in the Washington County jail.

“What we are trying to find out is when is the last time the kennels were inspected?” Haddock said recently. “Who went in the kennels? Who knew what? And what the checks and balances are?”

Unfortunately, according to Theil, there really aren’t any checks and balances. Until recently inspectors from the state had to call in advance and set up an appointment before they could inspect the kennels. And even when inspections do occur, the reports are troubling.

CBS4 News obtained copies of reports from the state division of pari-mutuel wagering regarding inspections they have done on kennels across the state. Of the 127 inspections conducted 20 percent – or one in five – listed the condition of the kennel as poor or worse. There were 28 instances of multiple dogs living in the same cage and 724 instances of greyhounds being injured.

Which brought our interest back to Florida Kennels. CBS4 News wanted to see for ourselves what conditions were like inside the Hialeah compound.

Initially, Adkins agreed to show us.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll take you down there myself,” he said.

But the next day we were told the dog owners and trainers did not want to let us in with our cameras. Theil said it is not only the issue of confinement that makes the sport inhumane. Dogs are routinely injured and killed while racing.

Grey2K has amassed a library of video in which dogs are hurt and killed, including a case where a greyhound was electrocuted at a track in Orlando when he tripped and fell into an electric rail.

They also provided CBS4 News video of a terrible accident at Mardi Gras in which a dog – BB’s Story Book – collided with other dogs while trying to make the first turn, became disoriented and ran in the wrong direction. As the announcer shouted for handlers to get the dog off the track, it crashed into lure carrying the metal rabbit that the dogs chase. The dog is believed to have died instantly.

“As long as you have commercial dog racing you are going to have dogs that die on the track,” Theil said.

How many dogs are killed or injured every year at Florida greyhound tracks? Unfortunately, no one has the answer. Florida track owners are not required to maintain those types of records. In fact, every time legalization has been proposed that would require them to keep such records they have vehemently opposed it.

“It is a sport, it’s a contact sport, it’s like football or baseball and injuries do happen.” Adkins admitted. “But these dogs are very well taken care of. I will never call this an inhumane sport because nobody in this industry does anything to hurt these animals “

But ironically, because of the groundwork of Grey2K, and the growing public perception that dog racing is in fact cruel, that may allow Adkins to keep his casino while losing the dog track.

“For me it’s not a humane issue, it’s an economic issue,” Adkins said. “It’s that simple. If this sport was making money, again being brutally honest about it, I would do everything I could to continue it because I don’t view it as an inhumane sport. I do view it as a money loser.”

Theil said Adkins motivations are irrelevant to him. If he can forge an alliance with the track owners to close their tracks he is more than willing to do it.

“Regardless of what the reason is, I think its time to give the dogs a break.” Theil said. “These dogs have suffered and died at these race tracks for generations and this is no longer a viable industry, no one is interested in it, it is time for this to end.”

Jim DeFede joined CBS4 News in January 2006, providing regular commentary on the evening news. He now serves as an investigative reporter and a member of the CBS4 News I-Team.
Jim DeFede was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 11, 1962. Alth...

People all over the USA keep pets in there apartment. Maybe they get outside a
couple hours each day..City pounds kill MILLIONS of animals each year..In 2010
12,801 greyhound individuals registared. Far more race horses are raised each year but,there are to many rich people inthe horse race business for y2k to
mess with…
What is y2k next target… ZOO’s ?

Mike has deftly used a common pro-racing ploy in his semi-coherent post – “You think we’re bad, what about them?”

There’s a substantial difference between keeping companion animals as pets and an institution that maintains animals for human entertainment and profit. Yes, city pounds kill animals every year because too many people, like greyhound breeders, breed dogs with no thought to their permanent placement or welfare. It doesn’t take the heat off greyhound breeders, it just shows they’re every bit as responsible as a backyard breeder running a puppy mill.

Grey2K has one mission – end greyhound racing. There are already plenty of groups focused on ending other forms of animal cruelty and exploitation.

An apartment – even a small one – does not compare to a small wire cage or
kennel. To imply that greyhound racing is a better life for dogs is ridiculous.
A home with a loving owner is far better than being treated as a commodity and
an expendable one at that. Obviously, you do not know the conditions many
of these dogs endure!

Excellent reporting. I’m surprised, though, that Adkins actually said “nobody in this industry does anything to hurt these animals”, when in fact, it is all too common to learn of cases like Ronnie Williams. Adkins needs to do more fact checking in order to make a fully iinformed decision on whether or not dog racing is inhumane. Media coverage for decades has exposed the dark side of racing. Abuse and neglect of racing greyhounds is happening to some degree at every track, breeding farm and training facility across the U.S.

houndtrainer wrote: “Abuse and neglect of racing greyhounds is happening to some degree at every track, breeding farm and training facility across the U.S.”

Utter crap. There have been some documented cases of abuse, but saying everyone does it is like saying every parent abuses their children because there are documented cases of child abuse. I have been on dozens of farms and in dozens of kennels and I’ve never seen a case of abuse.

McGrath, that’s because you see it and you think, “Yeah, that’s okay.” But when people not sucking a living off the greyhounds looks at the same thing, they say, “That’s totally inappropriate.” There are hundreds of documented cases across the country. Is every trainer/owner/kennel/track abusing their greyhounds? Well, that depends on what you consider “abuse”, doesn’t it? If you’re following the typical practices of the industry, then you’re maintaining your dogs in inhumane and cruel conditions.

Greyhounds are NOT “very well-treated.” They are considered livestock in the state of Florida and often do not receive medical care for injuries. I fostered a young male who suffered a broken leg on the track and was sent to a vet to be put down. This sweet boy had been sitting in his kennel for days; the leg had started to heal in its broken position, and it took months of painful treatment before he could be adopted. I am aware of many other similar instances. I am also very close with people who have ex-racers that come off the track with personalities broken by abuse. They are afraid of loud noises, moving objects, or men in baseball caps; they cower and retreat from the human hand. Anyone who tells you greyhound racing is humane is lying!

Our existing laws against Animal Cruelty & Abuse are woefully inadequate, both in their enforcement and protections that are promised. These laws will strengthen when those who courageously judge their present effect as only trivial apply justice for a real cause. We must involve ourselves in State Legislature and animal protection issues in whichever state we live.

The terrible conditions of our public & county animal shelter abuse will end when an aware public conscience will no longer tolerate them.
The suffering of agricultural animals will abate only when strict handling laws are created and enforced by a public who will no longer tolerate the cruelty and abuse involved in the slaughter of animals for meat.
The abuse of animals used for entertainment and profit will end when an unwilling public will not purchase tickets, assist and support or contribute to any venue that cruelly trains animals to perform tricks for entertainment: Elephants, Dolphins, Killer Whales, Greyhounds – all animals outside of their natural habitat.

Pesticides that harm humans, animals and agricultural products must be banned. The public health must be placed above the profit motive- wildlife is threatened to extinction. We must educate ourselves to pesticides that are little more than poison to all of life on earth.
Animal research will end when the knowledge that brutal and casual infliction of pain and death for homeless, defenseless animals will no longer be taken for granted as a necessary evil by a merciful and compassionate society. Research facilities must not be condoned, funded, or protected by our own state laws.

When will that day arrive?
Each of us must set our own date for today.
Thanking you for your caring and the many signatures to this petition.
AnimalActionUSA

What an EXCELLENT report! I learned a lot, and will absolutely support closing these dog tracks. Dogs shouldn’t be made to live this way, and putting something like a multiuse resort on those properties would bring in a lot more people and help the economy.

Adkins blames the declining attendance on the casinos. Does he at all consider that people do not want to be a part of the cruel treatment of these animals? I would like to think that this is the real reason for the declining attendanc.

just close down I will never go to a dog race, I will go to the casino. and start finding homes for those inocent creatures, people who doesn’t want to show their location is because they have lots to hide. Close down the racing trucks. is the right thing to do.or do it the right way .

What I can’t believe is that state division of pari-mutuel wagering inspected the kennels, found problems, and did nothing. Oh, wait. That’s the way government works. Like the DCF. They should all close down and find good loving homes for these wonderful dogs. Enough is enough.

D Wolf Director National Greyhound Adoption Program I have been finding homes for Florida greyhounds for over 20 years. .Dan Adkins didn’t care a hoot about the dogs then and doesn’t now. CLOSE THE TRACKS NOW !!!!!! Let people gamble away their money on slots ,that doesn’t abuse any greyhounds.

Greyhound racing is NOTHING like baseball, football, or any other human sport. And it is most certainly NOT a contact sport. Greyhounds get injured because the tracks are so poorly designed, with long straight-aways and very tight turns. The vast majority of injuries occur when a pack of animals tries to negotiate those turns together. There are no “improvements” that can be made to make the sport “safer” for the greyhounds. The only thing that is feasible to stop the inhumane and cruel treatment is to shut down these tracks and turn every one of the greyhounds over to the 300+ adoption groups who are ready and willing to take these racers and find them proper, loving, forever homes. Greyhounds make excellent pets, so get involved in their adoption now, then tell your legislators that you want these tracks shut down.

It is long overdue for dog racing to be made illegal in EVERY STATE!!! Florida will be the toughest state to change because it has the most tracks: 13 But. racing WILL end — it’s just a matter of time. We will not give up on shutting down the cruelty that is called a “sport” and “entertainment!” These gentle greyhounds deserve better!!! Speak up and get legislation passed in your state!

Until people all over the country learn what is going on behind the scenes and the cruelties involved (some do go to Florida for vacations), these atrocities and races will continue. They must be outlawed and closed down but firs provisions should b made what to do with all the poor animals who will no doubt be killed if the races are gone.

Isn’t it funny how these “trainers” who are charged with animal abuse for allowing their “beloved grey’s” to STARVE are always FAT?!? I think he should suffer the same fast ase those dogs. Throw him in a cage, muzzle him, and then let him starve to death. No, I’m not joking. These are voiceless animals that deserve to be treated better — NO ANIMAL should be treated like this, even those raised for human consumption (food)!.

It is a shame that the florida tracks are more preocupied with money than the welfare of their poor greyhounds the conditions under which these fourlegged athletes are kept is a sad travesty.
There are soo many welfare issues that racing should be banned because of the cruelty asociated with keeping greyhounds in unsuitabel conditions. They should not be confined in small cages for hours on end in complete darkness. They should be entered in races whilst injured they should not be fed lousy food they should not be drugged they should not be kept in kennels at all as that is not a healthy inviroment for any dogs and most certainly not for inteligent sensetive sighthounds. As the owner of three ex-racing greyhounds I can say this this bloodsport should be banned for the reasons mentioned above as well as for the configurations of the tracks that endanger the lives of the greyhounds every time they race there. it is high time Florida tiedied up her act and banned greyhound racing for good based on the above mentioned as well as the complete contempt for life shown by those who should ensure the welfare of all racing greyhounds. Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen greyhound Action Denmark.

Outside in the deserts of arizona they have found grey hounds dumped or in mass graves and this is how they treat animals that make them money…who cares if they are injured or starved…laws need to shut these concentrationcamps for the dogs…and not allow these conditions to go on? Despite pleas from the owners that they will suffer a loss of income…the torture of these dogs are the ones who suffer.

Animals are not ours to use as entertainment, whether it is a circus, zoo, or greyhound racing. The greyhounds are meant to be COMPANIONS not COMMODITIES. It’s unfortunate that money trumps compassion! Everyone should support an end to greyhound racing NOW!!

What A Wonderful Article About How Greyhounds Are Abused . It lacks just one thing that would make it much better and that would be the truth. It is compelling but sadly it is a bunch of blatant lies and old talking points. Sorry for those that want to believe otherwide but it just aint so.

EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS REPORT AND WATCH THE VIDEO, THEN SEND IT TO EVERYONE THEY KNOW. THE MORE PEOPLE THAT SEE THE ABUSE THESE DOGS ENDURE, MORE WILL SUPPORT THE EFFORTS OF GREY2K USA TO END GREYHOUND RACING FOREVER! ONLY THEN WILL THESE BEAUTIFUL AND GENTLE DOGS FIND THEIR FOREVER HOMSE AND HAVE THE LIVES THEY SO DESERVE! I HAVE ADOPED THREE RETIRED RACERS. THEY ARE SUCH WONDERFUL PETS AND COMPANIONS. I CAN;T IMAGINE MY LIFE WITHOUT THEM!

Greyhound racing made the owners of Hollywood rich men. What Adkins failed to mention is that once he got a license to build a casino, he stopped promoting the dogs. Show me any portion of a business where you not only create new in-house competition, but also promote the new one at the expense of the old one, and I’ll show you a business that will fail. Adkins stacked the deck against racing and now he’s crying that he’s losing money on it. You can safely bet your paycheck that had he been turned down for a casino license, he would’ve been telling us today that greyhound racing was the greatest sport in the world.

I wonder why they make such great pets after the racing days are over?
It must be all that abuse they recieve in those terrible Air Conditioned kennels of touture.
Or maybe its the hours of confinement in those cages that are only 6 inches tall.
Or it must be the poison food they are feed so they can run and break track records.
It cant be the those terrible trainers and handlers abusing them 24hrs a day.
It must be the work of GOD that they turn out the way they do.

Greyhounds make great pets because they’re DOGS. They make great pets DESPITE the treatment they receive in racing kennels and on racing farms (breeding mills).

The cages are not 6″ tall – what a stupid comment, and an obvious exaggeration intended to distract people from the facts. According to the GRA website, the kennels are actually 33″ x 43″ x 32″ tall. Keep in mind that male greyhounds stand 28″ – 31″ at the shoulder, and are 30″- 34″ in length. That means the cages are too small for many greyhounds to either stand upright or turn around. That degree of confinement is bad, but when you consider that many greyhounds race for years, up to five in some cases, and they are confined like that for 20 hours per day, that makes it inhumane and cruel.

Greyhound racing is cruel, inhumane”) from a member of Grey2K, the radical animal rights group trying to eliminate all greyhound racing, shows the writer’s lack of knowledge about the reality of the sport. The story merely parrots the misinformation commonly promoted by this misguided organization.

It should be obvious to anyone with an ounce of common sense that greyhounds would not be able to perform at their best on the track if they did not receive proper care and treatment off the track. To achieve peak performance, greyhounds must be well nourished, well rested, well exercised and healthy.

In fact, the excellent care and treatment that greyhounds receive during their racing careers is the main reason that most transition so successfully to life as beloved family pets when they retire. Anyone who knows animals can tell you that ill-treated dogs rarely make good pets.

The Grey2K member is wrong, too, about injuries. In fact, the vast majority of greyhound injuries are minor, permitting the dog to return to racing in two weeks or less. Fewer than one-half of one percent of all greyhound injuries are life-threatening.

Greyhound racing works very closely with adoption groups around the country to find loving homes for retired greyhounds. Thanks to these collaborative efforts, nearly 95 percent of all registered greyhounds are adopted when they quit racing.

Regrettably, Grey2K makes no contribution to the welfare of greyhounds, either during or after their racing careers. Instead, they choose to devote their time and energy to political attacks and creating skewed videos for emotional effect.

We salute the hundreds of adoption groups that put their political views aside in order to work with greyhound racing for the benefit of the greyhounds.

To greyhounds forever and wakeup…the lies about racing these poor dogs is known to be inhumane and cruel…..the facts are there…why would they go undercover to show the conditions that these dogs live in…you must love gambling on these dogs…what they are doing is educating greedy people who will suffer loss of income…too bad, so sad…I fon’t feel sorry for these people who will suffer…whose really suffering..and the comment by wakeup…radical grey2K group..you must condone animal cruelty, because he had facts from a vet..and yes greyhounds can be adopted…but how many die becuse of this sport…so it’s okay that the majority live in horrendous conditions? Ignorance is your reality…and the facts about racing these dogs isn’t just confined to Florida…red the news if you can get by your bias against animal rights/welfare that let the world know about all the cruelities that abound in labs, circuses nad horse and greyhound racing. do you think dogfightng is okay? They are starved and taught to fight.and yes they can be adopted also…people who put money before humane treatment of their animals.!

Reins,
Who go undercover??? radical groups like grey2k are kept away because of all the lies if you want to spend all your money on a ponzi scheme go a head remember to lawyer run grey2k it’s a big money maker for them so who really make the money on greyhounds? Tracks in florida have to report to the state. State official are there every day and condictions in the kennel are watch over all the time.

Wakeup, EVERYONE is kept away from these tracks because the industry doesn’t want people to “misinterpret” how they handle the animals. Why? Because normal people would look at the conditions and brand them inhumane and cruel. It’s a twisted view of reality that the racing industry tries to maintain.

Again with the Ponzi scheme thing. Do you have any clue what that means? It’s so incredibly inaccurate that it’s not even funny.

“State officials are there every day..” Except at Ebro when Ronnie Williams allowed 37 dogs under his direct care to STARVE TO DEATH! The neighbors had to complain to the sheriff before anything was done. Where was the state then? Where were the other track workers? Why did nobody inquire about the terrible smell from Williams’ kennels? Wakeup, don’t be making statements about the oversight of greyhound kennels if you can’t back up those claims with facts.

I can not commend Jim Defede & Carey Theil enough for this report! It speaks volumes about “doing the right thing” in regards to this inhumane so called “sport”. Plain & simple, go build your casinosfor people & close the dog tracks…shut ’em all down!

DAN ATKINS resume
took over as gm at hollywood greyhound track business was good up the road sixty miles at palm beach kennel club not as good.over the years atkins ran away costomers with poor customer relations. after five years here are some figures.
palm beach greyhound handle friday card $ 1,001,247.00
hollywood mari (atkins} handle $ 161,786.00
that’s my resume a disgrace.
the owners of mari have atkins running there casino would you???
YES signed the SEMINOLE INDIANS AT THE HARD ROCK

I wonder if any of these ignorant hate mongers have ever seen a “kennel” or a “crate” or an “animal shelter”… get a clue people, there are kennels and shelters in every city and every state. Are people really this stupid? The dogs want a place of their own to sleep… And greyhounds want to RUN. Please, you idiots understand that right?

“The dogs want a place of their own to sleep.” And because of that desire you feel it is appropriate to lock them in a too-small cage for over 20 hours per day?

“Greyhounds want to run.” And they want a comfortable bed to sleep in, a couch to sprawl on, and toys to play with. Do they get any of those in a racing kennel? Heck no. They get carpet or shredded newspaper, period.

Are people really so stupid that they blindly accept the pro-racing propaganda without question? No. It’s idiots like you making stupid comments like these that are helping regular folks see the inhumanity and cruelty inherent in the dog racing industry.

To Ed, Yes many people keep animals in their apartments, but they are not kept in the dark except for the time the race…at least they show them love and water and food…and to Mike, yes , we are protesting zoos that don’t care for their animals humanely…got a problem with animals being treated with kindness and not being kept in cages?…I think your problem is the $$$$$$$$$$$that greyhound race track owners might lose…their are plenty of violations sited by the USDA…of course they don’t follow through and the animals continue to suffer. But that doesn’t bother you, does it?

Earth to Eric, dogs don’t demand a plush red velvet couch to sprawl on!! I mean go ahead and treat your dogs like little people all you want – most of your fellow pet owners just chain their dog out in the backyard. You understand that, right? Then why not work to ban pet ownership since that’s the leading source of animal abuse Eric.

Stop being a hypocrite and stop babbling the party line of your animal rights religion. Greyhounds LOVE racing, and most would prefer their own private kennel full of straw to roll around in – over your stinking couch. Greyhounds ARE ‘pro racing’ dogs.

I don’t think you can call yourself a reporter when you report in such a one sided manner. You got used to help an agenda by Mr. Adkins. It is amazing how the ridiculous lies told by you anti-racing folks are believed by others. Common sense will tell you they are lies. We need PeopleWhoLieInPrint2k and work to ban them from being able to print lies in a public forum. They are harmful, dangerous, could cost people their career. I am sure they are mostly sickly people who spend too much time in the dark, don’t get outside enough, spend nothing to actually help the focus of their cause and probably to much more to harm the subject of their cause than help it.

No, digdog, most pet owners do not chain their dog out in the backyard. In fact, in many places, doing so is a violation of the law. People who abuse companion animals are subject to prosecution under the law, and I’m glad that’s the case.

What do you mean by calling me a “hypocrite”? In what way have I been hypocritical?

Greyhounds do not love racing, and they’re not “pro-racing” dogs. They love to live in comfort and experience loving care from humans. Every dog I have met, homed, or heard of, including greyhounds, has loved having something other than a cage to live in. You’re spouting nonsense because you’ve put yourself in the position of trying to defend an indefensible industry.

Do you have any greyhounds, digdog? Have you lived in a HOME with one? Have you experienced their life in a racing kennel? Please, let us all know.

I have Eric. Both in a home and in a racing kennel. My pet ran out the door and waited by the gate, JUST SO HE COULD GO TO THE KENNEL, every morning! This is a FACT1 The only suggestion I have for you anti-racers and the people who are on the fence, make arrangement to take your dog back to the racing environment. You will be shocked! I just put a 9 year old rehome on a short haul in a dog truck and he pulled to it and jumped right in, like he had never left a kennel. Try and see things through your dogs eyes before drawing your own conclusions.

“JUST SO HE COULD GO TO THE KENNEL” – See, what you’re missing there, is the common sense to understand that your dog wants to socialize with the other dogs. Does your dog pine to stay at the kennel, in a bed of shredded paper/straw/etc? Or is your dog ready and willing to go back HOME?

Our dogs love going for rides, too. They love going places where they can get treats, run free in the park, or see other dogs. Heck, some of our dogs just love riding in a vehicle. It has nothing to do with going back to a kennel.

I think about what our dogs see and experience every day. Have you put any consideration into your assumption that dogs “love” to live in a cage? Somehow, I really doubt you have.

Digdog, you’re the one who talked about how greyhounds “love” to race. I simply pointed out other things they “love.” Why do you defend the racing industry by claiming one “love” and completely ignoring all others?

Our dogs are not treated like “little people” – they are treated like companion animals, just as any dog should be.

If I could comment on your response to my post above I would. I said it Eric, “Yes, my retired racing dog LOVES to go STAY in the kennel!” You have absolutely no clue as to what your talking about. You’re no different than Jen, Carey, or Christine. You spout LIES about something you’ve NEVER experienced. Another thing Eric, yes they do like socialization with other dogs, they like to run, and yes they do love car rides. They also LOVE their lives in their racing kennel! Don’t listen to me, just take your dog back to the racing environment and you’ll see that YOU are WRONG!!

See, realist, you’re calling me a liar, and then you misquote yourself. In your post, you said, ““JUST SO HE COULD GO TO THE KENNEL”. Now you want to rewrite history and change your own words to, “Stay in the kennel.”

Point to one place where I have lied, realist. You won’t find any. So lay off the “liar” and “lies” BS.

It is interesting that charities only have to actually contribute less that 30% of what they take in to their cause. Get a cause that has to do with religion or kids or animals and stir up enough controversy that you get people fired up enough to send you money. There are plenty of charities out there just making money and giving the GREAT charities a bad name. How much do you anti-racing folks actually give to help real greyhounds? How much do you spend supporting actual greyhound adoption groups? Or are you just supporting a charity making money.

Whatever, Eric. I’m just asking you to put your money where your mouth is. Again, don’t listen to me, ARRANGE FOR YOUR POOR, ABUSED, EX-RACERS TO GO BACK INTO THE RACING ENVIRONMENT, and let their reaction determine your point of view. You then, will understand that you are sadly mistaken.

No, realist, I’m not about to take any one of our former racers back to the racing environment and abandon them to that life again. Our former racers love to play with other greyhounds, and they love having a loving home to come home to. They have a large kennel available to them at our home, and they don’t like it. They prefer stretching out on their beds, or our bed, or the couch.

Racing greyhounds seek the approval of their handlers, just as pets do, so the racers go back to their kennels because that’s the life they know. Once they get a chance to experience freedom of movement, they’re not so interested in returning to a little cage.

Very one sided and clearly biased story. Hopefully, the reporter will do a follow-up as “wakeup” notes. Reporter talked to just one kennel operator and put him immediately on the defensive, hardly letting him say two words. Cary Theil is a talking head (cog in a political machine). He probably wouldn’t know a Greyhound if he met one nose to nose.

What would you like to see in a report about “the other side”? How greyhound racing continues to lose money and support? How more and more people find the institutionalized treatment of greyhounds unacceptable? How more tracks are relying on casinos to prop up their dying industry? Oh, wait, that’s not one-sided, that’s the truth!

If only they knew just how truthful Larry’s statement was when he said to a dog about to race, “Win this race. If not, we’ll kill you.” Ummm, actually, Larry, that’s EXACTLY what happens in many kennels.

But you know what was missing from this piece? Anything about the dog’s daily lives, any sign of the kennel, any indication of how the dogs are treated away from the track. And maybe if Larry had stuck around a bit longer, he could have seen racing dogs crash in a pile, get injured, and then be taken out back of the track and either beaten to death, shot, or, if they’re really lucky, killed by a vet.

They’re so proud of adopting their dogs out when they “retire”. What they don’t mention is they dump hundreds of dogs every year rather than provide anything for their ongoing welfare. The dogs are only useful when they’re making money. When the money runs out, so does the compassion.

Cary and Christine adopted their greyhound from NGAP in Phila several years ago.They talk the talk and walk the walk.
And lied and lined their pockets just like you wolf. can you please tell everyone how much you charged for greyhounds PLEASE its ok you can tell us

I can only tell all that I do well in my industrial real estate business.NGAP greatly benifits from my success.Visit our web site and see for yourself.ngap.org. Wake uip you are not awake but have yor head in the sand where you can’t see ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

palm beach kennel club consistently handles between $800,000 and a million dollars for there greyhound cards friday and saturday. $500,000 on single cards during the week. they must be doing quite well. on the other hand
management at hollywood MG cant do %15 percent of that.
hey hollywood its you not the product.

Many people who donate money to them are not aware of these figures. If you want to support greyhounds,donate money to your local adoption group, NOT Grey2kusa.

3.) Grey2kusa is heavily funded by the Humane Socited of the U.S. The president of HSUS, Wayne Pacelle, has been quoted supporting the extinction of domestic animals because they are “creations of human selective breeding”.

Really??? Doesn’t that seem a little radical? There are also photographs of Christine Dorchak picketing an aquarium for having fish on the menu. Yes, that’s right! She picketed an aquarium, because they served fish. Now ask yourself-Are these the kind of people I want to believe?

I cited the sources Eric. The one source that I didn’t cite is the third point that I made. And here’s the citation. (Animal People, 1993) You can google any of them! I’m not here to distort the truth, like you and the other anti-raciers!

You see, realist, apparently you don’t understand that when I said sources, I meant where you got the information. You provide “guidestar.com” in point 2, but that’s your only source.

Now you say #3 is from “Animal People” and dates back 18 years! I’m sorry, but would you prefer we start posting racing industry numbers from 1993? For most research, that would be considered dated, but I guess if you have to grasp for straws…

So, realist, let me ask you about this “Animal People” citation. Looking at their website, I don’t see anything going back to 1993. So, did you retrieve that information yourself, or did you pilfer it from other website? If you got it somewhere else, then tell us that source.

To
wakeup,DD,GeraldoDigdog,HB and Realist//Arizona just passed HB2536 in the House…that would one remaining track left and they have curtailed how many days (100) they can run…and film footage shows dogs that died on the spot of cracked skulls, brolen legs and animals that were so severely injured they had to be put down or killed outright by their owners…the videos don’t lie…this ‘sport’ is almost finished in Arizona!YYYYYYYYYeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhh!

Eric, stop acting like a KKK bigot and demonizing a minority group – Greyhound people. We are people who breed, train, love and enjoy our greyhounds… How about your pet “industry” Eric – you hypocrite. Since you keep harping on “industry” lets talk about your horrible pet industry, and something like *20 million* homeless dogs and cats it produces each year?? Eric stop shifting the blame to greyhound people, for the failings of YOUR industry. Take a look in the mirror – and go do something to clean up YOUR mess! Mister Pet fancier! Go ahead, you can start with your local Animal Shelter… yes the same shelters who keep their dogs confined in Kennels!! All across the USA.

You know, digdog, your rambling reminded me of another important point that non-racing folks probably don’t know about the racing industry. How many of the dogs you send to adoption groups are spayed or neutered? My experience has been – not a single one. No, that’s an expense you foist off onto the adoption groups who want to minimize the number of homeless greyhounds in this world.

Digdog, get a life, would you? KKK bigot? Where the hell did that come from? Again, the pro-racing faction reaches a new low in stupid commentary.

I’m not demonizing a “minority”, I’m speaking the truth about an industry, and it is an industry, that breeds more greyhounds than it needs, then turns the excess over to other groups to deal with. You’re people who “breed, train, love, and enjoy our greyhounds”. What you forgot to add is, “As long as they’re racing” or “as long as can make money off them.” And you forgot to say, “When we’re done with them, we’re the people who dump them off on adoption groups to provide for their welfare.”

I’m not part of an animal “industry”. I don’t breed, show, or race dogs. I do work to find homes for rejected and retired greyhounds. And I do that, not only for no profit, but for no wages or other compensation of any kind. So, digdog, it’s not MY industry that you’re haranguing. I think the hobby and professional breeding groups are absolutely responsible for the vast majority of animals in public shelters. The only reason the greyhounds aren’t in those same shelters is because adoption groups rescue them from those places.

Are you really so ignorant that you can’t see a difference between a public shelter and an industry that INTENTIONALLY and WILLFULLY maintains dogs in small cages for years? If you can’t grasp that, then you are a true moron, in the historic meaning of the word. And if my words are too big for you, I can direct you to an online dictionary.

Maybe you should get off your high horse for a minute. Which words were so “big” that some of us might need a dictionary? Please.

Secondly, you’re the only moron commenting!

And lastly, I’m wondering what suggestions you might have to deal with the number of animals in public shelters? Let me guess, stop breeding altogether??? There are homeless kids too, but we don’t outlaw people from getting pregnant! Come on.

See, again realist. The conversation is about greyhounds, then it gets diverted to public animal shelters. Now you want to take it further afield and start discussing homeless kids. No, I’m not interested in debating that issue when this forum is focused on greyhounds.

And maybe you can understand why I put your and Digdog in the same bucket – you’re replying to posts addressed to Digdog’s comments. Please, take a moment, go back and read what I posted before you start throwing out insults.

Have you ever noticed how Cary Theil never veers off script–always the same verbage. He is under the influence of the political machinery that is Grey2K. And, interesting that he and wife, Christine Dorchak, are making a living off Greyhound racing … nice work, if you can get it.

POOR Eric. Really you run over yourself talking about everything (you) know as truth ..Would it be safe to write that your mind set is some what out of control impossible to reason with ..!! It is a yes or no answer Eric but,,truely your not able to do just that !

to the pro-racers watch the video of the injuries the greyhounds suffer on the track…these are not altered videos…so it’s okay that a few dogs are harmed…the statistics fof the injuries and deaths are staggering and that’s why greyhound racing will be outlawed in every state. These videos don’t need statistics and propaganda from “radical animal-rights groups…people in general are appalled at the cruelty.

I have owned greyhounds for 10 years,not a kennel just a plan old owner and I have never seen so many made up stories adout abuse of the dogs. They are better taken care of then three fourths of the pets in this country. By the way Kansas and Texas may well be reopening all there dog tracks with in the next year.

No, John, Kansas and Texas are not likely to be reopening tracks in either state. One man in Kansas wants to monopolize closed tracks in that state, then he’ll likely try to open the tracks as casinos. In Texas, they’re trying to get video lottery terminals allowed, essentially turning racetracks into casinos again. The Texas measure has consistently failed in recent years. Kansas has already proven that there is not enough interest to support even one track.

As for your statement that you’re “just a plain old owner”, can you clarify that for us? So for 10 years you have owned greyhounds that have raced at someone else’s track? Or that have been kept in someone else’s kennel? Your involvement was, what, sucking money out of the dogs’ winnings?

And, pray tell, what exactly do you think has been “made up” in this forum?

Saving greys has just found out that a woman, MS.wooten misrepresneted herself in oreder to get an interview with Grey2K(not an adoption agency.. group trying to expose the inherant cruelties in this sport. She published a biased article about adoptions raising false issues about Grey2KUSA and greyhound adoption, just to perpetuate the falsehood that greyhounds love to race….This conniving woman is actually a dog racing supporter and the daughter of a former dog track executive…she grew up with the wealth and blood of greyhound racing…her article perpetuates the cruelty of greyhound racing and she had to lie to prove that it doesn’t harm the dogs. By the way , you good ole boys in Kansas and Texas may be in for a surprise.

So what if she did? (I don’t know one way or the other). The facts are correct. With all of the recent track closures, some would say caused by Grey2k, many healthy greyhounds are being moved to South America for racing and/or breeding purposes. And yes, Sergio Cortella of Hollydogs greyhound rescue, in Florida, is responsible for facilitating the transport of many of the greyhounds. Isn’t that something? An Anti-racing adoption group, affiliated with Grey2k is sending adoptable hounds to third world countries to race. Wouldn’t these dogs be better off racing here in the U.S., under regulations?

Wakeup, we’d probably take you more seriously if you had something meaningful to say. If your house was on fire, would you call the police department to put it out? Would you call for an ambulance because your house was burglarized? No, because each agency has its own specific mission, and you would call on the group best equipped to address the problem. In the same way, Grey2K aren’t an adoption group, so they don’t adopt out greyhounds. What they do is work to shut down an exploitative industry that makes adoption groups necessary.

The people of MA. were smart enough to see through the claims of race track owners, and voted to ban racing in our state. As the owner of two former racers, I can attest to the gentleness of these animals, and urge anyone to consider adopting a retired racer. Sorry for previous typos

You’re right, Jim. It was the PEOPLE of Massachusetts who made greyhound racing illegal in that state, not Grey2K. And retired racers make great pets, despite the conditions they’re kept in while racing. They’re wonderful, majestic creatures worthy of our love and respect.

What bothers me about this kind of reporting…how many injuries are there in the construction industry, or manufacturing, or…you name the industry where physical labor is involved…you will find all kinds of statistics pointing to injuries and death. Do we stop those industries? In every walk of life what makes the headlines are the abusers…so we hear about those. Does anyone really believe that a valuable animal that is used for racing will be ill-treated if it is expected to perform well.

The sad part of Greyhound lovers who are hell-bent on closing down the racing industry, is that will pretty much ensure the demise of this glorious breed…’cause there just “ain’t” that many AKC GHs being bred.

Enjoy while you seem them…they’ll be endangered 20 years after these zealots close all the tracks – putting thousands of people out of work in the process!

Keith, another nonsensical argument from a pro-racer. Are you seriously trying to equate greyhound racing with human INDUSTRY? That’s even dumber than the athlete and sport comparisons. And why are track people the only ones who can breed greyhounds? What unique qualities does it take to put a male and a female together and raise their pups? None. Any hobby breeder or breed enthusiast could easily maintain the racing greyhound line. This extinction argument is pointless.

Yes, some people are going to lose their jobs when the tracks close. That’s a darn shame, but it’s the way things go. Whether anti-racing groups cause tracks to close, or what we’ve repeatedly seen, the tracks collapse from their own lack of support, there will be jobs lost. But those jobs are no reason to maintain greyhound racing. When prohibition ended, a lot of bootleggers went out of business. When patent medicines were outlawed, those salesmen had to find new work. The same is true of greyhound workers, they’ll have to find other employment.

These dogs do not have a choice inracing…..humans on the other hand do have a choice to work in a dangerous industry etc.
Who cares about the people losing their jobs…too bad so sad…..the important thing above all else is that these dogs will be free and not locked up in cages. It is cruel and whomever thinks it is okay should try it and see how they like it. These dogs are beautiful loving creatures and they would not become extinct. The only thing that would become extinct would be the ignorant people who do not treat these dogs humanely and I assure you, they will not be missed.

Don’t have a choice? They absolutely do- if they don’t have the urge to chase, which some don’t, they are adopted out at a very early age. Many of the dogs that are adopted out before their 2nd birthday, were put up for adoption because they didn’t “want” to compete. Not because they are slow.

And as far as the breed becoming extinct, your right. It may not become extinct, but, it will be ENDANGERED. The AKC greyhound is a sub-type of greyhound as the NGA hound is. They are very similar, yet not the same. Currently the gene pool is very slim in the AKC hounds and nearly every registered hound goes back to the same ancestry. Whereas the NGA hounds have a large diverse gene pool. If the NGA hounds dissapear, the greyhound breed as a whole will suffer.

Commonsense claimed there is a large, diverse gene pool for racing greyhounds. But if you follow the pedigree of our greyhounds, you find that they all start to overlap within a few generations. That includes dogs from Colorado and two tracks in Arizona. There may be a large gene pool, but it’s not being efficiently used by breeders.

If the NGA were to go away, the greyhound breed would continue if breeders were willing to breed pets rather than just money making commodities. There is nothing inherent to dog racing that maintains an adequate gene pool.

This is for Eric and the response below. Please don’t talk about how the “gene pools aren’t efficiently used”. You obviously have no clue about what you are commenting on. When bloodlines become too tight, you “outcross” with a completely different line. Unfortunately, the AKC greys don’t have many options.

Commonsense, I wasn’t posing a hypothetical, I was reporting the fact. There is significant overlap in the breeding lines of our greyhounds. Perhaps those breeders weren’t following “best practices”, or maybe they were too cheap or too lazy to bring in new blood. I don’t know, and I didn’t speculate.

The AKC is a whole other issue that doesn’t need to be brought up here.

Some greyhounds that are deemed to slow ot race are slaughtered…I realise many are adopted…but even pups are killed by the owners…dead dogs have been found at the ‘shelters where the greyhounds are’stored’…Some are starving because they haven’t shown their owners the investment $$$$$$$$…that’s the bottom line to these people who state they treat their dogs humanely.

I still don’t see the point of your post Mike. PETA and Tyson have nothing to do with greyhounds, and that was the point of this article. Perhaps you should post your comment to a more appropriate thread.

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